Gundam Seed: Eternity
by Kyia
Summary: After the events of Gundam Seed Destiny come to an end, ZAFT and the EA once again settle into an uneasy peace. Although hostilities have ceased between both sides, war is to come once again...
1. Beginnings Of A Soldier

**Valhalla Space Colony:**

"It absolutely can not happen!" A white coated woman slammed her fist onto the desk just in front of her, her dark hair was in a messy ponytail and she looked as if she hadn't slept in a week at least. Across from her, a man slowly nodded his head. He too looked exhausted but also full of life as he gestured to three computer screens showing the moving images of another woman and two men.

"We all agree with you Sisara, but there really isn't anything we can do. ZAFT will be here in," At that, he checked a watch on his wrist for the time and his eyes widened slightly at what he saw. "Nine minutes!" A murmur of anger and shock echoed around the room as the three people on the computer screens checked there own watches or clocks.

"Well then, there's only one thing we can do!" The woman, Sisara, took a seat at her desk and immediately began to tap away at a keyboard hidden from sight. Images, specifications for weapons and plans for what seemed to be a new type of Mobile Suit moved quickly into view before being replaced. "We'll have to delete all records of the project, we haven't got much time but everything has to go…"

A silent agreement had been made. No matter what, ZAFT could not get their hands on the plans for the new series of MS.

"Two minutes left everyone, Sisara start deleting the plans for the ZX-One Nine Two." The sound came from the computer screen to the left of the three as a scientist furiously tapped away at his keyboard, deleting all of his notes and plans for the ZX series. A large bang echoed around the room and the eyes of Sisara and the male scientist that was with her were immediately drawn towards the computer screens. Blood covered the far left screen, and then, only moments later, a second gun shot was heard and the screen on the far right was covered in blood.

"Oh shit Sisara! They hadn't finished deleting the plans for the ZX-Two Four Three and the ZX-Eight One Four!" The only remaining face on the computer screen, a young woman, was screaming her words. "I'm only half way through erasing the ZX-Nine Seven Two and Ethan… Sisara!" The warning came moments too late, Ethan, the scientist who had been watching over Sisara's shoulder only moments ago, slammed her head down against the heavy wooden desk and pushed her out of the seat.

"Sorry Andraya, but ZAFT want these things pretty badly."

Instead of arguing with Ethan, Andraya cut the conference connection from her computer and immediately began to choose a different path. Sisara had once given her the password and direct access to her computer, telling Andraya that she felt that something was wrong, and it was time to exploit that. Bringing up a connection to Sisara's computer, Andraya began to throw up blocks around all of the details for the ZX-192 while deleting the data of the ZX-972. Gathering all of the information of the ZX-192 together, she sent it through hundreds of different computers on the colony she was living in before letting it reach its final destination.

She screamed out as a bullet tore through her shoulder, then went limp as a second found her head. The plans for the ZX series had mostly been deleted, but enough pieces existed for ZAFT's scientists to put back together…

**Asgard Space Station, ZAFT Military base:**

Inside a small pod in the middle of a large room, a teenager gripped the controls to the training simulation of the GOUF Mobile Suit. His long blue hair partially hid his face, but sweat matted the rest to his head anyway. He reacted quickly to each new threat, pushing the GOUF to the edge of its limits and using every piece of scenery and debris he could to separate himself from the Moebius Zero and M1 Astray that were shooting at him. He had already taken down a fair number, but the armor of his GOUF was scorched from near misses and he was missing both of its legs.

Using the jet propulsion system built into the GOUF, he span around a full 360° while firing controlled shots from his wrist mounted Draupnir; at least until he saw the warning sign of a low power counter. From just below the right arm of the mobile suit, a long segmented metal whip appeared; the Slayer Whip was a weapon that worked with heat to tear through its opponents. Propelling the GOUF into the flight path of an M1 Astray, the pilot used the shield as an obstacle between them but suddenly let go of it, allowing it to carry on its path as he jetted around it and lashed out with the whip.

He caught the torso of the M1 Astray, tearing it apart, but at the same time two missiles slammed into the back of the GOUF. A flashing red light and lack of response from the controls showed that the GOUF had been destroyed; the training simulation was over.

"Congratulations Higure Cross that was an impressive test… However," The last of his words were drowned out by a sudden blast of noise, a warning signal of incoming enemy ships and most probably MS. Rushing to the small computer console by the door, the training officer had totally forgotten about Higure as he tried to reach his commanding officers. "Sir? Yes sir! I understand sir." Heading towards the door, he caught site of Higure out of the corner of his eye and turned to face him. "The station is under attack, it looks like you'll be fighting earlier than predicted recruit! Follow me to the hangar."

Without asking any questions, or waiting to see if any would even be asked, the training officer propelled himself out of the room and used the handrails along the zero gravity corridor to head towards the hangar. Higure followed close behind, not wanting to be left behind but wondering at the same time what was happening, who was attacking?

Within moments the two had arrived at the hangar, through the thick glass Higure could see GOUF, GINN and a variety of ZAKU were already launching to defend the base. He was pulled into a changing area by the training officer and shown where pilot outfits were stored. He quickly changed into one, feeling the suit shrink to his size as the excess air was pulled out, and pulled a helmet onto his head before floating out of the changing area and into the main hangar.

"You'll be with me kid; the GOUF over there is yours." The training officer pointed towards a GOUF several feet away and headed towards a silvery white Blaze ZAKU Phantom; looking very impressive with its dual shields. Higure pulled himself into the cockpit of the GOUF and started up the diagnosis program quickly, checking that everything was operational before hesitantly leaving the hangar behind his partner.

"Kid, stay close to me. There are reports of a pair of GUNDAM in the area…"

"Yes sir!" Higure gripped the controls of the mobile suit tightly, breathing in deeply as he tried to calm himself. He'd only just been selected by the ZAFT military as a possible recruit, heading down to the base on Asgard earlier that day to have several medical tests and the training simulator. This was only the second time he had been in a mobile suit, the third if he included the simulated GOUF. _Wait… Gundam! Oh shit!_

In his momentary daze, Higure hadn't noticed the Euclid that had broken through the ranks of ZAFT soldiers defending the station. A flash of blue and red light brought his mind into focus, and his instincts kicked in as he used the jets on the GOUF to propel himself out of the way of the dual Beam Rifle shots. Even as he moved, Higure was targeting the Mobile Armor and firing several shots with his Draupnir, the four-barreled beam gun attached to the wrist of his GOUF. The first two shots met nothing but air, but the second two tore through the guns of the Euclid and caused a chain reaction that blew the MA to pieces.

"One down," Higure muttered, gripping the controls of the GOUF tightly as he kept close to the modified ZAKU that the training instructor was in. All around him he could see fighting; blasts of color where weapons were being used and large explosions that lasted only long enough for the air inside a MS or MA to be used up. So this was a battle. No, this was going to be war. "All of the suits I've seen so far are standard Earth Alliance; this is going to lead to another war…"

Jetting forwards, Higure fired off rounds with his wrist-mounted Draupnir while using the shield attached to his left arm to deflect most of the shots that came his way. He could hear screams on the radio, cries for help and then silence.

"Kid, we're near the enemy ship. Keep your head down and watch my back!"

"Y-yes sir!" Higure twisted the MS around 180°, firing at random with his Draupnir before jetting underneath the instructor to get his first glimpse of the ship. The Agamemnon class flagship was mostly curved, an almost black paint design helped it to blend into space but today it was highlighted by the flashes of battle. Twisting around once again to fire at random intervals, trying to keep any MS or MA away from them, Higure shouted as a flash of light struck his right arm, tearing through it and causing an explosion that knocked Higure away from the instructor. "Shit!"

A MS flew into view, twisting around and firing with incredible speed and accuracy. Shots that were fired at it either missed, or were harmlessly blocked by the energy shield that seemed attached to both arms. His computer system searched through the database, trying to find a match, then assigned it as the ZX-814 but no name accompanied it.

"What the hell… Sir! There's a MS heading towards us, definitely not friendly!" Higure turned to face it, placing the shield of his GOUF in its path. "You better hurry up…" Even as he radioed this to the training instructor, he heard an explosion and was pushed several feet away from what must be the remains of the Agamemnon class ship.

The green shot of a Beam Rifle struck the shield Higure was using to try and keep the instructor safe, but before he could say anything more the MS was above him. A Beam Saber sliced straight through the head of the GOUF, creating a small explosion and making Higure wonder if it was time to leave the GOUF, but realized that in this battle zone he would be in more danger outside the MS. All of these thoughts took a second to run through his head, and before he could think about what he was doing; his instincts, or perhaps training, kicked in.

Using the jets on the GOUF, he pushed upwards; forcing the shield into the chest of the ZX-814 moments before releasing it. With the MS's left arm, he pulled the Tempest Beam Sword from inside the shield and activated it, seeing the golden blade glow slightly. Shoving the sword through the shield, he saw the weapon dig into part of the ZX-814's chest.

"Sir!"

"Good one kid, now back away!"

Releasing the sword, Higure jetted away from the ZX-814 and looked for the ZAKU that the training instructor was in. Grinning slightly as he saw it, the Beam Assault Rifle raising to fire at the ZX-814, Higure closed his eyes. A moment later, he felt an explosion rock the GOUF slightly and reopened his eyes.

"SHIT!" Parts of the ZAKU that the training instructor had been using littered the immediate area, the computer in the GOUF now showed a second MS behind him. ZX-243. "They're the Gundam!" Almost immediately, he went into a series of 'evasive maneuvers', moving away from the Gundam while attempting to radio the ZAFT forces he had been fighting along side. He saw the green shot of a Beam Rifle just miss him, then an explosion as another shot tore straight through the legs of the GOUF he was piloting.

A blur of dark red and white few past him, his computer quickly identifying it as an M1 Astray, although Higure had already figured that out. _Great, I've got two Gundam and a M1 Astray attacking me! No guns, one arm, no head, no legs and no shield!_ Spinning around, planning to use his fist as a weapon if any of the enemy approached him. To his surprise, not everything seemed to be going the way it was in his head.

The M1 Astray had ignited two beam sabers, one in each of its hands, and had sliced through the arm of the ZX-243. Head mounted Igelstellung were firing in small bursts at the ZX-814 while doing the most surprising thing out of all. It was defending the GOUF Higure was in, taking shots from the two Gundam when it had to.

"What the he-" The GOUF was rocked suddenly as something knocked into it, checking the computer and radar that was flashing he saw that a Mistral had appeared, apparently clamping onto the GOUF as it was tugging it away from the battle scene. _Why is there a Mistral, an Earth Alliance vehicle, and an M1 Astray from Orb saving me?... Or Maybe they aren't saving me, having a captured enemy always comes in handy... _Expanding the radar, Higure found that only the two Gundam, the Astray and the Mistral were the only other survivors from the fight. _Just what the hell is happening?_ On the radar he could see a ship approaching, or rather he was approaching it, his gaze drifting to the computer he stared at it for several moments. _An Archangel class assault ship? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?_

He felt the GOUF hit something solid, then knocked his head against a control panel as the Mistral released the clamps; dropping it the last few meters onto the floor of the MS launch system onboard the ship. Fighting back waves of dizziness, Higure searched around the cockpit for anything he could use as a weapon while unbuckling the harness that kept him firmly attached to the seat in the cockpit. _Shit!_


	2. Onboard The Forseti

**Forseti, Archangel Class Assault Ship:  
**

Higure, the keyboard allowing him access to the GOUF's OS ripped from its fixtures and in his hands, waited as a team of mechanics made sure the Mobile Suit he was in was secured next to several others in the ships arsenal. He couldn't see anything outside of the MS, but he presumed that was what they were doing. Or perhaps it was hope?

He could hear the faint sounds of a conversation outside the cockpit of his GOUF and although he couldn't hear anything that sounded hostile or violent, he never let go of the keyboard.

"Hello in there pilot, do you mind opening up the cockpit so we can speak?"

Higure frowned slightly, sure that the voice sounded familiar yet at the same time so distant in his memories.

"I can hear you perfectly fine inside here thank you."

"A sense of humor, very nice, but I prefer to speak to people face to face…"

Before Higure could answer, the hatch to the GOUF's cockpit opened up and left him staring at the grinning face of a red haired man, seemingly only a year or two older than himself, dressed in a black and dark red pilot's suit. It took Higure a few moments to realize he still had the keyboard in his hands, but when he did he threw it with all of his strength. However, he hadn't weighed in the almost zero gravity in the ship, the man was able to propel himself out of the way easily and the keyboard kept spinning end over end until it shattered when it struck a Murasame's chest.

"Now that was not nice." The red haired man stared at Higure, one of his eyebrows raised slightly. "If we wanted you dead we could have blown you up, or just left you for those two GUNDAM…"

Two dark haired soldiers, both in plain outfits of white and blue, floated up to point handguns at Higure and slowly he raised his hands in surrender.

"Now, can we talk or do you want to throw something else at me?" Despite the seriousness of the situation, at least from Higure's point of view, the red haired man seemed to find everything amusing.

"Yes, we can talk." Higure sighed, pushing himself away from the seat of the GOUF and floating towards the trio. When he had reached them, a third soldier pushed himself down towards them and held a gun steadily at Higure.

"Very good, now then soldier, what is your name?"

"My name is Higure, and I am not a soldier."

"Yet you were out in a Mobile Suit armed with weapons in the middle of a battlefield?"

"I was protecting myself and my home from the Earth Alliance and their GUNDAM."

The red haired man looked at Higure, his eyes full of doubt and every part of his body showing that he was no serious.

"I gave you my name, soldier, now tell me yours." Higure practically spat the word soldier, putting as much hate into it as he could.

"My name is Dante, pilot and commander of the thirteenth MS Air Squadron. I'm also the man that just saved your life. Oh, and, welcome to the Forseti."

"And, Dante, you just happened to be close enough to the battle to 'save' me?"

"My team and I were performing routine training exercises in space; we picked up traces of a battle in space and came out to help any survivors. You and the two GUNDAM were all we found."

Higure stared at Dante, just floating there while his mind attempted to comprehend what he was being told. _Everything?_

"The Asgard Space Station?"

Dante nodded slowly, looking genuinely upset over the loss of a ZAFT military base. He gestured for the guards to lower the weapons they held and after a few moments they did, holstering them but keeping a close eye on Higure.

"Come on, our ships doctor wants to take a look at you; make sure you're okay."

Higure allowed himself to be led away from the GOUF, his eyes vacant and never seeming to settle on a single thing. _My friends, my family, my life… The Earth Alliance wiped it out._ _Yet these people, representatives of Orb, seem to genuinely be worried about me… Just what the hell is going on here? _

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Dante stood, saluting a woman sitting on a chair behind a desk in a well furnished room aboard the Forseti. His dark red hair was spiked up slightly, having had time to change since dropping off Higure at the medical bay, and he wore a soldier's uniform instead of a pilot's suit.

"So Dante, you left the vessel to interrupt a fight without orders. Ordered a Mistral and its pilot to rescue a ZAFT Mobile Suit and its pilot and you still stick by your decision?"

"Maam, yes maam." He stood perfectly still, his hand still raised to his head in salute, while the woman inspected him.

"You made a decision Dante, and you will have to face the consequences. Firstly, because the brigs have been converted into storage space for ammunition, this refugee is to be housed with you."

"Yes maam."

"Secondly, you are to watch him at all times. Report anything strange back to me immediately."

"Yes maam."

"Thirdly, stop calling me maam. I may be the captain of this ship but it irritates me."

"Yes captain."

The woman couldn't help but shake her head, removing the hat she wore that hid her purplish hair before sighing and leaning back against the chair.

"Seriously Dante, what were you thinking?"

"Captain, two days ago we had reports of GUNDAM being developed by ZAFT. My team and I were sent out here to keep an eye on this specific area of space, with no apparent reason, and not even an hour before we get here the ZAFT base is under attack by someone claiming to be part of the Earth Alliance."

"Claiming to be?"

"Yes captain, I saw several suits and mobile armor heading towards the battlefield. They were destroyed, but even before the battle the couldn't have gone in fully operational."

"Yet the ZAFT military base is destroyed."

"The work of the ZX's captain, when I left the battlefield to cover the Mistral I saw them firing at the base with Rail Cannons and what appeared to be a new form of Beam Rifle."

"What are you saying Dante?"

"I believe that the attack isn't what it seems captain, this was why I left the ship to rescue the GOUF when I saw it battling the two GUNDAM."

"Yes, I noticed that in your report. You said he was in a damaged GOUF but had managed to injure one of these… GUNDAM…"

"Yes captain, the ZX-814."

"Although I can not order you or your team to do anything commander, we will be heading immediately to the Utgard on our way back to Earth. I have already sent a report and it is possible that the 'refugee' will be taken into custody at the station."

"Yes captain, is that all?"

The captain stood and saluted Dante, waiting until he had left the room before sitting back down and tapping away at the keyboard of her computer. A small smile crossed her face as she read something on the screen, then she frowned. _Was Dante right? _

**Jormungand, Laurasia Class Frigate:  
**

Two pilots stood on a metal walkway running in front of the ZX-814 and ZX-243. The black and grey pilot's suits they wore helped them to blend in slightly with the GUNDAM now that the Phase Shift armor was offline, but the man that walked towards them had no problem seeing them.

"I said no survivors, is that not right?"

In unison, both of the pilots spoke. "Yes sir!"

"Yet you let a GOUF get away, and not only that you let an M1 Astray see you and return to its ship."

Again, they spoke in unison. "Yes sir."

"In two hours we will meet the ship in battle, you will destroy it. If you don't, then you better be destroyed yourselves."

This time, although they spoke in unison, both of the pilots' voices showed fear. "Yes sir!"

**Forseti:  
**

Higure sat in front of a long table in one of the ships canteens, a tray of food in front of him and a fork in his hand although he hadn't touched his food in the last thirty minutes. Dante sat opposite him, drinking from a blue colored bottle, dressed in a military uniform.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Higure shook his head slowly, feeling uncomfortable in the room surrounded by soldiers. Although they all seemed to be ignoring him, busy speaking to each other or just eating, he felt weird. He was dressed in a pair of loose trousers and a black top, his pilot's suit resting on his new bed.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the base. Did you have family there?"

"Yes, my mother. She was an engineer, helping to inspect ships that had just landed on Asgard."

Dante nodded slightly, pointing towards the door, and stood up slowly. After a few moments Higure followed him and the two of them floated down corridor after corridor, a maze that Higure was trying to memorize. He didn't know how long he'd be aboard the Forseti, but he didn't intend on getting lost while he was here. After several minutes of traveling, moving up and down floors, Higure found himself looking out into one of the Forseti's two hangars for Mobile Suit and Mobile Armor.

"We haven't got the parts to repair your GOUF; it was missing too much externally and internally. Sorry."

"Thank you anyway, although I don't think my chances of getting out in it were high even if it was repaired."

Dante nodded slightly before pushing Higure through into a changing room and from there into the hangar where they stopped in front of a slightly battle scarred M1 Astray. 

"That's yours, isn't it?" Higure was facing the Astray, but speaking to Dante. He noticed out of the corner of his eye a nod that confirmed what he already thought.

"Thank you, for saving me I mean. I don't know who those guys were but I have a feeling they wouldn't of minded killing me."

Dante nodded slightly then, with a kick of his legs, started to drift slowly towards the open cockpit of the Astray. He motioned for Higure to follow him, and when that was done he showed him the inside and its controls.

"Technically, my team and I are not part of this ship and as we receive orders directly from miss Cagalli Yula Athha the captain can not order us to do, or not to do, anything…"

Higure nodded slightly, although he found the situation weird, and studied the controls of the Astray.

"You probably already know that the Astray has been outdated by the newer Murasame's but I find it hard to let go of my Astray." Dante grinned as he spoke, and then pointed opposite them towards a Murasame, a mixture of metallic blue and a silvery-white. "That one's empty, the pilot never made the shuttle up to Forseti, so the engineers have neglected it but I thought we could check out its systems, give the both of us something to do in this quiet."

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The captain sat in the bridge of the Forseti, ignoring the talk of those that worked under her as she thought about what Dante had said just over an hour ago. _Could he be right? And if he is, who was it responsible for the attack on Asgard military base? _So intent on her thoughts, the captain didn't notice the radar operator addressing her. After several attempts, the radar operator was reduced to shouting.

"Captain!"

"Do not shout at me!"

"My apologies captain, but there's a Laurasia class ship closing in on us, the computer names it as Jormungand…"

"Attempt to contact them."

"I have already tried captain," This from a communications officer, turning in his chair to look at his commanding officers. "Our long range communication is being jammed and they aren't answering."

"Captain, the Jormungand has launched Mobile Suits… I'm registering four ZGMF-600, that's the GuAIZ, and… Captain, the ZX-814 and ZX-243 have launched captain!"

The captain nodded, touching the controls on the edge of her chair while giving the bridge crew orders. Activating an onboard communications system, she addressed the crew.

"We are about to come under attack by four GuAIZ R, the ZX-814 and the ZX-243. All necessary crew to their battle stations, there is a green light for the Thirteenth MA Air Squadron to launch!"

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Inside the cockpit of the Murasame that he had been examining alongside Dante, Higure listened to the announcement quietly. His hands tightened on the controls of the Murasame and he heard Dante's voice echoing across the chamber.

"Right team, you heard the situation! We have hostiles, six of them, two in advanced Mobile Suits. Our mission is to delay the MS while the Forseti heads toUtgard! I don't want any heroics, stick together and work like we've been practicing!"

He could hear the metallic echo as the M1 Astray and six Murasame headed towards the catapult-like launching systems aboard the Forseti. As he tried to move the Murasame he was in, Dante's face popped up on one of the view screens.

"Higure, you are not to leave the ship. The engineers will not launch your suit without mine or the captains' orders and we have both decided that you are not to launch."

"B-but they're out there!"

"Exactly, we can't risk you jeopardizing the other members of the team."

Although Higure's hands tightened on the controls of the Murasame he nodded his head, understanding the reasoning behind Dante's words. Leaning back against the seat in the cockpit of the Murasame, he slid the keyboard down and tapped away at it; modifying the OS to work better for coordinators. He could hear the sounds of battle outside, but see nothing. It was driving him insane.

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The Forseti was firing at what appeared to be random intervals with its main weapons, leaving the missiles in reserve in case the enemy MS got close enough to do any real damage. With no long range communications systems, the Forseti could not contact the asteroid base Utgard. A problem that was becoming bigger while the two ships fought each other.

The Murasame were performing circuits of the ship in teams of two, sticking close to one another in order to provide support, where as the Astray was flying out to meet the two GUNDAM. As good as Dante was, he was piloting an outdated Mobile Suit with limited weaponry in a fight against two next generation Mobile Suit armed with Railguns, High-Energy Beam Rifles and Beam Shields that protected them from most of the shots the Astray fired.

"Captain, the GUNDAM are heading towards the ship! I can't stall them any longer, my beam rifle is gone and my saber is useless with these shields!"Dante's face and voice appeared on one of the screens of the Murasame Higure was in and he knew that the Forseti would not reach Utgard. Pushing himself away from the seat in the cockpit he leaned outside of the Mobile Suit and shouted down at the engineers.

"I need to launch, if you guys have got any heavy weaponry then perhaps I can get on top of the ship and try to help keep the ZX's from getting too close!" The engineers stared up at him, obviously with conflicting opinions, but finally one started running towards the controls of the hangar, his voice shattering the silence as it was directed via communication systems into the Murasame.

"We have a High-Energy Beam Rifle that was supposed to be taken to the Utgard after the Thirteenth squadron finished up training."

"That's more than good enough, please have it inside the launch bay!"

Higure pulled himself back inside the Murasame's cockpit and immediately tightened the straps around the seat, gripping the controls and starting up the MS. As everything finished loading he headed out, careful to make sure not to knock into anything. As he reached the catapult-like launching system onboard the Forseti he grinned, noticing the Beam Rifle. He reached down with the Murasame and cradled the long weapon in its two hands, ignoring the protests of the captain.

"I appologise for borrowing your Murasame and weapons captain, but I don't feel like being blown to pieces quiet yet. Higure Cross, Murasame, Launch!"

The Murasame was thrown away from the Forseti, but before too much distance could be covered Higure twisted it around and used the jets on the Murasame to propel himself back towards the Forseti. Settling down just above the launch system, he braced the Mobile Suits legs against the outside of the ship and allowed the targeting system to designate enemies and allies.****


	3. A Battle Of Distance

**Space, Outside the Forseti and Jormungand:  
**

Higure aimed upwards and way from the ship, his targeting system alerting him to the presence of a single GuAIZ R heading towards him. Inside the cockpit, Higure was working hard to keep the moving MS in his sights, more used to firing small weapons repeatedly or using melee weapons than firing a big weapon like the High-Energy Beam Rifle.

Just before firing, Dante's face appeared on one of the Murasame's view screens as he ordered the Thirteenth Squadron to take up defensive positions on the ship. Second later, a pair of Murasame crossed in front of his sights, the flash of Railgun fire from a GuAIZ R chasing after them.

"Dammit!"

Readjusting his aim, Higure fired the CIWS mounted on the Murasame's head; the controlled burst of machine gun fire halting the GuAIZ R before he let loose with the High-Energy Beam Rifle. The shot tore straight through its left leg then chest before bursting out the other side of the suit, the pilot dead in the explosion.

"That's three down guys, good shooting Higure!" Dante's words echoed inside the small cockpit but this time his face didn't appear, Higure was already moving the MS and the targeting system to acquire a new enemy. He found his first target again, its Railguns locked into place as it prepared to fire at the ship. Swinging the High-Energy Beam Rifle around he fired quickly, not waiting to perfect the shot. It missed the GuAIZ R by less than a meter but caused the MS to move backwards, rotating around to aim at Higure instead.

Abandoning the heavy weapon, Higure switched the Murasame to mobile armor mode and flew straight towards his enemy. He saw the Railguns fire at the same time as he rolled to the left, turning the suit back into its previous form and pulling one of its beam sabers from the hip. Using the shield attached to the other arm he charged forwards, accepting as little fire as possible while getting in close enough to do damage.****

A burst of green light struck the shield, cracking it into fragments, and Higure immediately pulled back on the controls of the Murasame; activating the jets to push him away from the shield as he checked for enemies visually. Coming into view, one of its several guns raised in front of it to fire at Higure, was the ZX-243. A yellow and black color scheme partially blended into its background, but the glowing bluish-white wings on its back stuck out like a huge target. Wielding twin blasters and with weapons attached to its arms and hips, it fired them all at once.

Six shots, four from Railguns and two from Beam Rifles, spread out then arced back in to strike the Murasame as Higure attempted to evade them, twisting and jetting upwards. Both wings were pierced in moments, the right arm blasted off from its socket, and the left leg was severed but the cockpit and head remained intact.

"Shit!"

With no weapons other than the head mounted CIWS, Higure jetted back towards the ship facing the ZX-243. A face appeared on the view screen, a pilot with a dark colored suit, taunting Higure.

"Think you can evade the sting of the Suzume a second time?"

Firing off bursts at random intervals, Higure attempted to keep the Suzume away from him as it lined up for a second volley of shots. He could see the barrels of the weapons change direction slightly as the pinpointed him then something inside him snapped.

He felt strangely detached from the battle, yet at the same time his awareness seemed to rise. It felt almost as if he was watching someone else fight, yet guiding there movements at the same time. Dante's face appeared on a video screen, ordering the Murasame's to defend the ship, and the radar aboard Higure's Murasame told him that Dante was battling the ZX-814. As Dante stared at each of his team members, he saw the vacant eyed expression of Higure and frowned slightly, wondering what was wrong.

But in the Murasame, Higure was ignoring Dante's orders and even the appearance of his face on the screen. Every muscle in his body felt strained as he waited for the Suzume to fire, and when it did he reacted. Moving with incredible speed the Murasame moved upwards, dodging the blasts of the Suzume as if everything was moving in slow motion. He saw the right arm floating before him in space and reached out with the Murasame's left arm, gripping the Beam Saber before moving away.

He kept the weapon inactivated, not wanting to show the Suzume that he was armed, and moved towards the enemy GUNDAM in spirals and sudden upwards and downwards movements so that the GUNDAM could not target it properly. It moved out of the way of misplaced shots and fired back with the CIWS until it was close enough to enter into melee combat with, activating the pink blade of the Beam Saber and chopping downwards. The Suzume raised its right arm, abandoning the gun it held and activating the Beam Shield. The Beam Saber crashed down upon the glowing shield without any effect but Higure was already reacting, kicking the Suzume in the chest and dashing upwards with the jets, then to the left slightly before slashing down in a diagonal attack with the Beam Saber.

The weapon tore straight through the Suzume's left arm and Higure used the jets to move far enough away to watch the explosion rather than be apart of it, seeing the gun the left hand had held floating away with a crumpled barrel. The Suzume moved backwards suddenly, its wings seemingly giving it a greater speed and maneuverability, but Higure fired with the CIWS and chased straight after it, jetting downwards and spinning 180° to slice through the two hip mounted Railguns.

As Higure righted the Murasame and fired again with the CIWS the Suzume jetted away, abandoning the fight and fleeing back to the ship. Higure could see on the radar that the ZX-814 was also fleeing, Dante returning to the Forseti, and that four of the six Murasame, excluding the one he was in, had survived the fight. The GuAIZ R however were all destroyed, or too far away from the fight to register on his radar. Either way, the Forseti had won.

**Forseti:**

Higure stood on the edge of the Murasame's cockpit inside the hangar of the Forseti, watching the other Murasame pilots below as the spoke to each other in a mix of hushed tones and excited words. Yes, they had won, but they had payed the price with the lives of two men. Breathing out a sigh of relief he slowly sat down, his legs dangling, and closed his eyes. He could remember that battle between himself and the Suzume, see it in his mind almost as if it was recorded there, but he couldn't quiet figure out how he had done it.

"Congratulations." Dante's words pulled him out of his thoughts, forcing him to open his eyes and look up at the pilot.

"For what? Your team did the most work; I just did what I had to do."

"Yet you didn't hesitate, when you saw that the Forseti was in danger you acted." The small grin on Dante's face was almost infectious.

"You fought against the ZX-814?"

"The Taisho."

"Pardon?"

"The pilot called it the Taisho, I managed to take out its guns but the thing started firing missiles out of areas on its back."

Higure nodded slightly, pushing himself away from the cockpit of the Murasame and floating towards the changing area and then, hopefully, to the room he was sharing.

"The pilot of the ZX-243 called it the Suzume; it has a high rate of fire with those weapons..."

Dante followed him, floating along side Higure. They spoke in hushed tones, not wanting to worry the pilots of the Murasame with there talk.

"Higure, what would you think if I told you that they aren't from the Earth Alliance?"

"I would think that you may be right, that ship was a ZAFT transport and the skill of those pilots… I heard about those Human CPU's but these guys were coordinators, I'm sure of it."

Dante stared at Higure for several moments then stayed as Higure turned down a corridor towards the room they shared. Dante stood there for a few moments then headed towards the Bridge.

**Jormungand:  
**

"I told you not to return unless you had destroyed that ship and everyone on board it!"

The two pilots nodded slowly, neither one wanting to be the first to talk, but eventually the slightly shorter one spoke.

"Sir, I-I tried! I was almost at the ship when a Murasame came close; I attacked it and destroyed most of its parts but… It was like nothing I've ever seen before sir, it dodged the Suzume's shots and sliced through the Railguns! The Murasame's attacks were so precise I never managed to get another shot in…"

"And I was carving a way through that Astray sir when backup arrived, two other Murasame that were firing at me in a crossfire while giving a chance for the Astray pilot to approach from a different angle. The Taisho was almost destroyed!"

The man, dressed in a white and black uniform of a ranking officer in the ZAFT military, stared at them and the two GUNDAM thoughtfully for a few moments before turning around and heading away.

"You returned the GUNDAM; we will repair them and meet up with the Hildisvini, the ZX-192, the ZX-972 and there pilots. Perhaps they can show you how to pilot a Mobile Suit properly."

The two pilots waited until he was far enough away and then started to complain to each other, insulting the officer and threatening the pilots and crew of the Forseti.

**Forseti:**

Higure watched as the engineers repaired the Astray and Murasame, using spare parts that they sometimes had to carry in with the functioning Mistral. He was dressed once again in boring and plain clothes, not wanting to wear a uniform or pilots suit, and was getting bored of the scenery. It had been just over twenty-four hours since the attack on the Forseti and things had gone quietly since, no battles and no arguments. Only repair work.

"Higure, suit up."

At Dante's words Higure turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly as he looked at him. They had found they had a lot in common, both having lived with a single parent, both enjoying piloting Mobile Suit but less so battling them, and both were good with computers and at the firing range.

"The Forseti reaches Utgard tomorrow but I have been speaking to Cagalli, she has ordered me to bring you to Orb. There is an Izumo class ship in orbit that is waiting for us; it will then use a drop-pod to send us towards Onogoro Island."

Higure nodded slightly and went through to the changing room, wondering what was going on but glad to be leaving the Forseti. He had not liked the captain, and most of the crew seemed unsure about him.

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The captain watched from the bridge as both Dante and Higure launched, an M1 Astray and a slightly battle damaged Murasame. _Higure Cross… Well, that is interesting. _

**Ringhorn, Izumo class Battleship:**

Higure and Dante had just landed aboard the Ringhorn, an Izumo class Battleship with a fiery red and orange paint design. They had been greeted by a representative of Cagalli Athha and shown an area where they could talk, rest and eat. Dante had done the latter two, where as Higure had eaten very little and waited to speak to his friend.

"What's on your mind?" Dante spoke without opening his eyes, apparently asleep sitting on a chair.

"…A few days ago I was attempting to join the ZAFT military, now I'm onboard an Orb vessel preparing to head to Earth… My mother is dead and so are the friends I had on Asgard."

"You're wondering what purpose you have now?"

"Yes, pretty much."

"Cagalli told me that Lacus Cylne and a few of her supporters have been keeping an eye on ZAFT operations and apparently there are a few… anomalies. Recently, four ZAFT scientists were killed, apparently by a small remnant of Blue Cosmos, and just under a week later one of Lacus's agents heard about four new Mobile Suits."

"The GUNDAM? We fought two… There are more?" Higure stared at Dante, his eyes slightly widened, as he nodded.

"Yes, two more both belonging to ZAFT. Between them they have gathered enough information to come to a conclusion, although neither know if it is correct… They believe that ZAFT wishes to return to war, this time without a warning. They have ships and Mobile Suits posted around space and all of there bases on Earth have been quiet active lately…"

"They want to go back to war? Even after everything that has happened in the last two!"

"They want Earth, all of it."

Higure sank into silence as he thought about Dante's words and the possible purposes of such a plan, his head spinning. Before he could think too much about what he had just heard a knock at the door signaled the arrival of the representative.

"We are at the correct point to launch the pod; Cagalli Athha has asked that you report straight to her when you land. She said you would know where Dante…"

Dante nodded and followed the representative out of the door, Higure quickly following them. _Earth…_

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Dante's face appeared on a view screen inside the Murasame Higure was inside, waiting patiently for the drop pod to be launched. He had experienced, virtually, the effects of one of these things and he wasn't looking forwards to it again. Plummeting towards Earth in, basically, a semi-circular casing just big enough for four Mobile Suits. Admittedly, it was safer this way than piloting a Mobile Suit straight down.

"One minute to launch, ready?"

"Yes, but only just. I hate these things!"

Dante grinned slightly and turned off the communications after giving the crewmember responsible for launching the drop pod an all clear. It was towed into position, partly by a pair of Mistral and a conveyor belt-like system and then launched straight out of the Ringhorn and towards Earth. It took very little time for it to enter the atmosphere and from there it was one hell of a bumpy ride down.

**Space:**

The pilot of the Suzume watched as the drop pod was launched from the Izumo class ship, a grin on his face as he activated all of the GUNDAM's jets and its wings to propel itself towards Earths atmosphere. All of its weapons had been repaired, a quick job that was made quicker by spare parts, and it had left the Jormungand separately to come after the Murasame pilot after it had heard about its destination.

"Run, run as fast as you can."

The visor of his pilots' suit darkened as he entered Earths atmosphere, moving faster than the drop pod in able to catch up with it. This time, the Murasame and its pilot would be destroyed!

**E**arth, above Onogoro Island:

The face of Cagalli's representative appeared on the view screen of the Murasame Higure was waiting in, a look of urgency on his face as he spoke quickly.

"Our sensors just detected the Suzume enter Earths atmosphere. It is on a collision course to the drop pod."

"Thank you for the warning." Higure closed the transmission just as Dante's face appeared on a second view screen, a sigh escaping his lips before he spoke.

"Looks like that pilot really doesn't like you…"

"Tell me about it, can you contact Orb and warn them about it? If it takes us out then they'll need to be ready for it."

"Always the positive, huh Higure?"

Higure grinned before closing the transmission and activating the Murasame, leaving the weapons alone as he knew he would have to shift it straight into Mobile Armor mode. Moments later, the drop pod started to fall to pieces and the Murasame leaped out; transforming into the plane-like Mobile Armor.

"You will not get away a second time Murasame!"

Higure ignored the taunt of the Suzume as he performed a roll, altering the angle of the MA to climb upwards and meet the Suzume. He fired at random intervals with the CIWS but the Suzume, its yellow and black Phase Shift armor activated, used its Beam Shield to harmlessly accept the shots.

"Is that it?"

Close to reaching the Suzume Higure fired the High-Energy Beam Rifle mounted in the back of the Murasame. It struck the other arm of the Suzume just as it was about to shoot back and Higure pulled right into another roll, firing Hayate air-to-air missiles. Several struck the shield on the Suzume's arm but two struck the right hip, blowing the Railgun on that side to pieces. As the Murasame reached the head of the Suzume Higure transformed it back into MS mode and began to fire with the Beam Rifle, noticing that the Suzume was down to either using the shield and defending or blasting back at him with the Railgun.

A quick burst of CIWS fire from the Suzume struck the Beam Rifle of the Murasame, blowing it up and taking a chunk out of the right arm. Unable to hover in Earths atmosphere Higure used the left arm of the Murasame to grab onto the Suzume's leg, firing upwards with the CIWS. It shredded through the skirt-like armor of the Suzume slowly, but there was very little else that Higure could do.

The Suzume kept shifting about, attempting to break free of the Murasame's grasp, whilst using the jets and wings to pull itself gradually free. After several moments the Murasame lost its grip and Higure began to plummet once again towards the ground, just about to switch into MA form a stray shot from the one remaining Railgun on the Suzume's hip tore straight through one of the two wings, crippling it and leaving him unable to fly.

"Shit!"

He checked his co-ordinates, happy at least to be falling towards the ocean, and then looked up to see the Suzume flying down at him at full speed. The Murasame pulled its Beam Saber and activated it, meeting the attack of the Suzume but being pushed off course at the same time. A quick look at his radar showed that the Suzume was pushing him closer towards a volcano on Onogoro Island.

"Said goodbye to your friends?"

As the words echoed around inside the cockpit of the Murasame a feeling took over Higure, both strange and familiar at the same time. His eyes became dull and the muscles in his body strained as he reacted to the Suzume.

He kneed it in the chest, using the momentum to push the Suzume underneath the Murasame at the same time as he pushed away with the Beam Saber. Firing with the CIWS at the Suzume's head he sore chunks being torn off before plunging down with the Beam Saber. It struck the Beam Shield on the Suzume's arm but Higure didn't stop. He kept pushing downwards as the Suzume plunged its own Beam Saber through the Murasame's side. Higure felt an explosion rock the Murasame but at the same time he felt the Beam Shield beneath the Beam Saber break and the energy blade tear straight through the arm and then torso of the GUNDAM causing an explosion that threw the Murasame away.

As the mostly destroyed Murasame plunged down to the ground Higure saw a team of M1 Astray equipped with a Shrike Rotor, a device much looking much like a fan, hovering upwards to meet him. He saw them grip the Murasame and then slouched back into the seat inside the cockpit, passing out.  
****


End file.
